Rams News

Smith's running gets Vikings started
09/14 01:08 AM

By Jeff Gordon
Of the Post-Dispatch Staff

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brad Johnson was spellbound by the sight of running back Robert Smith racing downfield by himself.
"That was huge," Johnson said. "That was unbelievable. That was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen, him going up the sideline."
But Smith insisted his 74-yard touchdown run Sunday was no big deal. It put Minnesota ahead 24-10 in the second quarter and it was the cornerstone of his 179-yard rushing day.
Still . . .
"If I don't score on that play," he said, "I shouldn't be here."
Smith didn't come out and say it, but the Vikings could have gotten their team bus and a few escort vehicles through the hole he sprinted through. He took the handoff going right, then quickly cut to his left and started running like the wind.
"There was one guy for me to beat," Smith said. "The safety took a bad angle and got his feet caught up. It's very rare that you get into the end zone standing up in this league."
Why did that play work so well?
"I believe they thought we were going to pass," Smith said. "The corners were occupied and the safety was just sitting in the hole. I kind of made a move to the inside, then I took off toward the edge.
"It's pretty much a tackle-to-tackle play. It just happened that there was nobody on the inside. It just opened up right down the middle. I just take it where I see it."
Smith also broke a 24-yard touchdown run less than five minutes into the game. In all, the Vikings ran for 194 yards with a 6.3-yard average. They wanted to upgrade their running game Sunday and they succeeded. "After last week, we saw a lot of things we could do better," Smith said.
"It really spreads the field out when you can run the ball effectively," Vikings receiver Cris Carter said.
"Robert Smith's role of trying to neutralize pass coverage with runs every now and then paid off in the long run," Vikings coach Dennis Green said.
Smith had 121 of his 179 yards in the first half, then felt some anxiety as the Rams took a run at Minnesota in the second half.
"I would have felt horrible if we lost this game," Smith said. "I'm sure glad (the Vikings defense) made that last play of the game, because they had a lot of momentum."
That last-second goal-line stand made the heroics of backup quarterback Randall Cunningham stand up. Cunningham stepped in after Johnson sprained his ankle to lead the game-winning drive. "I always prepare myself to go in, because you never know," Cunningham said.
"You could do a lot worse than having Randall Cunningham as your backup quarterback," Smith said. "Everybody knows that Randall can do it."
Vikings receiver Randy Moss took it a step further. "Everybody knows that Randall Cunningham is the best backup quarterback there ever was," he says.
All and all, the Vikings offense could feel good about overcoming Johnson's three turnovers and subsequent injury.
"Fortunately, this team is set up to play 60 minutes of football," Smith said. "We're excited by this. It is tough to win on the road in adverse situations when we lost our quarterback. But we won the game and still have room for improvement. We just have to step up and make some adjustments."

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